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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2006
(number of pages 2)
Grant PUD Commissioners look at future power resource plans
EPHRATA, WA – Ongoing power resource strategies for future years continue to be of priority for Commissioners and staff at Grant PUD. Power resource planning involves studying power demands and power availability for the future in terms of cost, reliability and risk. The outcome of such studies is an integrated resource plan.
“Local and regional residential and business growth is affecting all of us in Grant County,” said Tim Culbertson, Grant PUD General Manager. “Our responsibility at the PUD is to ensure that we can effectively meet the long-term power demands of our customers – both old and new.”
Management staff is working on elements and options that Commissioners need to consider for managing long-term power planning. Commissioners will study information on resource needs and supply options developed by the staff during a Commission report in late November.
“We are one of the few PUDs that does detailed planning out as far as 10 years,” said Culbertson, “When the recent rate of local growth quickly outpaced our existing growth plans, we started a process to take a fresh look at our power supply planning.”
Grant PUD certainly has a greater array of power options than most electric utilities. The utility receives the bulk of its electricity from its own dams – currently 62 percent of power output of Priest Rapids and 36.5 percent of the output of Wanapum Dam, plus financial benefits that offset other power purchases. Turbine replacements and other planned plant upgrades will increase future power generating capabilities, as well. Other power resource options available to Grant County PUD include:
- The full output of the Quincy Chute Hydroelectric Project and the Potholes East Canal Headworks Project (on local irrigation canals).
- The Nine Canyon Wind Project operated by Energy Northwest near Kennewick supplies Grant PUD with 18.9 percent of its output (12 megawatts).
- The Randolph Road Diesel Generating Station in Moses Lake owned by Grant PUD has a generating capacity of 32 megawatts.
- A power purchase contract with the Bonneville Power Administration extends through 2011.
- Grant PUD power marketers buying and selling power in regional markets each day.
- Grant PUD has an option interest in a coal gasification power plant that will be built by Energy Northwest.
- Grant PUD continues to explore wind power resources in Grant County, a biomass power project and a possible hydropower plant near Cle Elum.
The effort to develop an effective power resource strategy begins with determining the average power demand and the peak power demand in Grant County. Summer peaks (driven by irrigation load) are similar to the PUD’s winter peaks (driven by home heating load) – with industrial load fairly constant year around.
“We receive assistance from local economic development groups,” said Culbertson. “They help our power management people estimate growth in the coming years so we can effectively zero in on average and peak power demand.”
The demand estimates must then be integrated with the supply side information, resulting in various scenario options. The end goal is to develop a preferred strategy that provides the best combination of power resource costs and risks while meeting power reliability standards.
Commissioners will review the power resource plan that power management specialists assemble for them this fall. Then Commissioners can consider the policy decisions related to power resources, purchase costs, rate impacts and the other variables that are an essential part of this complex power resource planning effort.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Rita Bjork
(509) 766-2530 / rbjork@gcpud.org |
